Place of Residence and Cognitive Function in Older Adults in China: The Mediating Role of Social Participation

Le Yang, Jingmin Cheng and Hongman Wang
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Le Yang: School of Management, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Taiyuan 030001, China
Jingmin Cheng: School of Management, Shanxi Medical University, 56 Xinjian South Road, Taiyuan 030001, China
Hongman Wang: School of Health Humanities, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Cognitive impairment is a severe health problem faced by older adults and their families, as well as the countries in which they live. Differences in place of residence may contribute to differences in the cognitive function of older adults, and the mediating effect of social participation has rarely been studied in China. Methods: A total of 10,014 older adult participants were included, using data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). Place of residence was described as either a city, town, or rural area. The frequency of participation in organized social activities and visits and interactions with friends was used to assess both formal and informal social participation. The Chinese version of a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used as a measure of cognitive function. The mediation analysis was conducted using Hayes’ process version 3.4 on SPSS (IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). Results: Place of residence had a negative effect on cognitive function in older adults. The mediating functions of both informal (a1b1 = 0.199) and formal (a2b2 = −0.056) social participation indicate a suppression effect on the part of informal social participation and a partial mediation effect on the part of formal social participation in terms of the association between place of residence and cognitive function in older adults. Promoting both informal and formal social participation seems to be an important strategy for preventing a decline in the cognitive function of older adults, especially for those living in rural areas.

Keywords: social participation; older adults; place of residence; cognitive function (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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